


There's Something in Your Eyes

by CrypticCravings (Sekaiinokoi)



Series: Adrinette Month 2017 [7]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette Month, Battle dragons, F/M, Fluff, Harry Potter AU, Non-superhero AU, Triwizard Tournament, Yule Ball, heavy references to animan, references to guitar villain, short fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-09-24 03:23:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9697466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sekaiinokoi/pseuds/CrypticCravings
Summary: This year, the Triwizard Tournament is being held at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, where Marinette Dupain-Cheng has been selected as Champion. She is not afraid of most of the challenges that await her. Except one. Fantastic beasts? No problem. Tests of wit? She's got them in the bag. Asking her crush to the Yule Ball? That's a different story entirely…





	1. This Night is Very Lucky

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is for days 13 and 17 of Adrinette Month.  
> As with all of my fics, the title and chapter names come from music. This time it comes from Ajab Si (Ankhon Mein Teri) from the Hindi Film Om Shanti Om.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miEmOaBvvrQ

Alya placed a hand on a vibrating Marinette's shoulder. She had been anxious all day, and couldn't seem to get ahold of herself. "You can do this, girl! Just believe in yourself!"

"I don't know, Alya, he's already turned three girls down today," Marinette lamented. "What makes you think he'll agree to go with me?"

"He can't possibly turn down the school champion, though! He didn't even know any of those other girls. They only recognize him from fashion magazines. You're his friend! Plus, I've always thought he's had a soft spot for you."

Marinette's face flamed up. She had a point. The other girls weren't even Beauxbatons students. "A-anyway, what do I even say to him?" 

Alya wrapped her arm all the way around Marinette's neck and waved her wand in a circle. "You just go up to him and say everything exactly as we practiced. You can do it!"

Marinette took a deep breath, "Okay, I can do this."

It was the 21st Triwizard tournament since it's revival, and this year the tournament was being held at their school. Marinette had the great honor of being the Beauxbatons champion for the year, and while the challenges didn't normally scare her, there was one thing that left her terrified: asking Adrien Agreste to the Yule Ball. 

"Alright, here's your chance!" Alya put both hands on her shoulders. "Go for it, Marinette!" 

As Adrien walked by the corridor with Nino, Alya shoved Marinette directly in front of him. No one would have guessed that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was a Tournament Champion, capable of taming wild beasts and life-threatening battles with the way she tripped and flailed her arms as she stumbled out in front of her crush and his best friend. Her textbooks spilled out of her arms, and her holly wood wand slipped out of her hand. The only thing stopping her from tumbling on the ground along with them was a strong arm wrapping around her waist as she flailed. 

"Are you alright," Adrien asked, bringing Marinette upright.  

"You're so fine--I mean I'm fine! Everything's great! I just fell for--I mean over you--I mean, I just tripped a little bit." Marinette groaned internally at her inability to speak a coherent sentence in front of this boy and cursed Alya for forcing her to follow through with this plan. 

As usual, if Adrien noticed her nonsensical babble, he chose to ignore it. "Well, I'm glad you're okay."

Both Adrien and Marinette bent down together to retrieve her dropped materials. Nino handed her the nearly trampled wand and Adrien helped her back to her feet. "Thank you."

"No problem." Adrien shot her one of his million dollar smiles, and Marinette had to focus on holding onto her materials this time. "See you later, Marinette."

He and Nino started to walk once again, and Marinette knew this was now or never. She had to do it. She was going to do it. "Wait, Adrien!" 

He turned back to look at her. "What's up?"

"Um…"Marinette took a breath to steady herself. She could do this. Before she could stutter, doubt, or second guess herself, she forced the words out of her mouth with as much strength and confidence as she could muster. "Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?" 

Marinette's heart pounded in her chest. Part of her wanted to turn and run from the sheer embarrassment of actually asking her crush to the ball, but she stood her ground. She was a Champion, after all. She could face dragons and giant spiders. She could deal with this. 

By some miracle, Adrien smiled. Not one of his fake model smiles that he showed the girls who fawned over him every day, or that he wore on the cover of magazines, but a real, genuine smile that she only saw when he was laughing at one of his own jokes, or when Nino was telling him about his most recent date with Alya. "I'd love to go with you, Marinette!"

"Really?"

"Of course! It'll be fun!"

Behind Adrien, Nino, ever the wingman, gave Marinette two thumbs up. She could hear the faint shutter of Alya's cell camera.  

"Yes! Great! So…um…I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah, see you later!" Adrien gave her a small wave before turning with Nino to continue on their way.

Marinette waved back at him, a dreamy smile painted across her face. He'd said yes! He was going to the ball with her! She couldn't believe this.

"…ette! Earth to Marinette!" Alya waved her hand in front of Marinette's face. 

"I think my legs went numb," Marinette whispered. "I don't think I can make it to class today."

Alya chuckled. "I guess I'll just have to carry you, then."

Alya looped her arm through Marinette's and tugged her towards the classroom. Marinette could have sworn that she floated the entire way there.

* * *

 

"So, are you psyched for your date with Marinette?" 

Adrien gave Nino a puzzled look. "Date?"

Nino grinned, resting his headphones around his neck. "You know, your date. At the Yule Ball."

Adrien shook his head. "It's not a date, Nino."

He rolled his eyes. "It's totally a date, bro. I've seen the way you look at her. Throw in some low lighting and some sweet romantic tunes, and you're in business."

Adrien's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "What are you talking about? How do I look at her?"

"Dude, its like she's the sun and your whole world revolves around her. How can I not notice? How can _you_ not notice?"

Adrien shook his head as class began. Sure, Marinette was awesome. She was brave, smart, quick on her feet, strong, and beautiful, but he didn't look at her like _that_ , did he?

* * *

 

News spread to the rest of the school within the next two days, thanks to coverage by the school news paper, and no thanks to Alya for providing pictures. 

Marinette had quickly gotten used to being scrutinized since entering the tournament, but she didn't appreciate having her love life projected about the school, especially when she hadn't even established that she had a love life yet.

"Why did you give them that photo, Alya?" Marinette pushed the newspaper away from her and flopped forward on the table.

"The world deserves to know that my girl is making progress. Everyone already knows you two are made for each other. Just had to make it official."

Marinette groaned. She couldn't help feeling a little proud of the public announcement, even through her embarrassment. She wasn't sure yet what Adrien thought of the article, but she would deal with that if it came up.

"So are you going to be making your dress?"

Marinette turned to face her best friend and grinned. "I started it weeks ago."

"Dang girl, you didn’t even have a date yet."

"I would have to go either way," Marinette shrugged. "Plus, I thought I'd need more time. Sewing with magic is way faster than using my grandmother's machine."

"Tell me about it. I know I've said it before, but can you imagine what my parents would say if they saw some of this stuff? If my dad could see some of the animals you've battled, he would flip out."

Alya, being muggle born, was always finding something new to marvel over. It was refreshing for Marinette. Being half-human, she'd grown up in a blended household filled with both human and wizard technology, so it was fun to see someone who had access to so much technology in the human world obsessing over technology and magic that had existed for hundreds of years. 

"So, how's it looking? The dress I mean." 

Marinette giggled. "It's a surprise.

* * *

 

Adrien, of course, heard about the newspaper article fairly quickly. He generally shrugged it off, not really bothering to even read it. He'd heard what he needed to know from Nino, after all. And Chloe, of course, had her fair share to say about it. He tried to ignore her as much as possible for his own sanity. 

He gathered that Alya had submitted the pictures and been the primary source for the article. Nino was eating it up, of course, insisting that it was equivalent of announcing his and Marinette's relationship. 

Nino considered Adrien to be deeply in denial, not out of distaste for Marinette, but simply because he was too dense to realize his own feelings. He was a pure soul, thoroughly innocent to the point of not wholly understanding himself. 

Nino knew him well, though. He saw the way he lit up when Marinette was around, and how she captured his attention just by being in the same room. He wanted his boy to be happy, and Marinette was able to do that for him.

It was time to talk to Alya about developing a plan.


	2. The Moon Pales in Comparison to You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When did this happen? This chapter literally wasn't supposed to exist, but somehow here we are.

It was 2 AM and Adrien was still wide awake in his bed. Nino's voice was rattling around in his head. It had been all month, ever since Marinette had asked him to the Yule Ball.

_"It's like she's the sun and your whole world revolves around her."_

Adrien's mouth scrunched up. Ever since Nino said that, he'd paid closer attention to the way he interacted with his shy friend. Whenever they did something together as a group, it was true, Adrien was a bit more excited to hang out with Marinette. He'd always attributed that to wanting to get to know her better. After all, their best friends had been dating each other for a year and a half, and Adrien still wasn't very close to her.

She was intelligent, fearless, and strong, but at the same time she seemed to have difficulty stringing together her own words sometimes. She had a tendency to trip over air, and she seemed to always be in a rush somewhere, but Adrien found all of those qualities made her that much more endearing. She was like a lesson in opposites.

Adrien shook off his thoughts. He really couldn't keep staying up like this, especially when the next challenge was tomorrow. He, Alya, and Nino needed to be there to support Marinette while she prepared, and he couldn't do that if he fell asleep on all of them.

* * *

 

"It's been a whole month, Alya, and our boy is just as clueless as ever!" Nino flopped back against the chair. "I don't know what else to do."

Alya blew a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Well, he's definitely been more attentive of her," she pointed out, "he watches her now more than ever."

"Yeah, but I'm afraid to mention that to him. Might shut him down. Bro's got fragile emotions." Nino ran a hand through his short locks.

"Marinette picks up the scroll for her next challenge today, right? So maybe they just need some alone time. Let's send him with her."

Nino nodded at this. "Good plan. Maybe they'll have a conversation that isn't seeping with awkwardness."

* * *

 

To say Marinette was nervous was an understatement. The last challenge had been a maze of riddles. The Champion had either had to solve the riddles, or outsmart the gatekeepers in order to escape. Marinette had had no problem with the challenge of wit. She always prided herself on her quick thinking, but this was going to be a test in battle. She knew she was strong, but the anticipation of what this **COULD** be was too much to handle. Once she got her challenge scroll, she would only have twenty hours to prepare.

She was shaking in her boots.

A comforting hand fell on her shoulder, and Marinette started, cursing Alya inwardly for the trick. Like this was going to help her relax. Adrien's cat wrapped himself around her feet, trying to offer comfort there as well.

Adrien shot her what was meant to be a reassuring smile, but it did things to her stomach that were far less than comforting. Granted, the butterflies were far more welcome than the rocks that had been sitting in there moments prior.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure you can handle it, Marinette," Adrien said. With his free arm, he scooped the tiny black cat at his feet up and held him out to Marinette. "Plagg believes in you, too."

"Thanks, Adrien," Marinette giggled. She scratched the grumpy little kitten under the chin. "Thanks, Plagg."

"You're going to be _paw_ some." Adrien grinned, holding Plagg's paws up for emphasis.

Marinette pressed her lips together to try to stifle her laughter. Her nose scrunched up a little and turned red at the tip from her effort.

The sight made Adrien's heart do a little flip.

_Oh._

* * *

 

The pair met up with Alya and Nino only a half hour later in their dorm's common room.

"Really? They picked dragons," Nino's tone was incredulous.

"Haven't they used dragons before," Alya asked. "I feel like they've used this exact challenge years ago. Seems pretty unoriginal, if you ask me. Like whoever planned this whole thing didn't have a good idea for a challenge that hadn't already been done."

"I mean, all the better for Marinette," Adrien said. "Since it's been done before, she knows what she's up against and can better prepare."

Alya flopped back on the sofa, arms crossed. Nino rubbed her shoulder. "I guess you're right." Alya hung her head over the back of the seat to stare at Marinette, who was currently digging through her trunk on the other end of the common room, her little white mouse, Tikki, perched on top of her head. "What are you looking for, girl?"

"We get one weapon in the challenge," Marinette explained. She bit the corner of her bottom lip for a moment in concentration. "I'm no good with traditional weapons, but I do have something that might work…"

Nino turned around in his seat to watch her. From the trunk flew bolts of fabric, books, magazines, pillows, but nothing even remotely resembling a weapon.

"What are you going to do, Mari? Dress the dragon?"

Marinette chucked a spool of thread at her friend and continued her search. Adrien chuckled at her actions. She was really in the zone. He loved the look in her eyes when she was focused on something.

Adrien stopped and backtracked for a moment to evaluate the thought.

Just because he thought he liked the way she was so focused didn't mean anything. Did it?

While Adrien was mulling over this, Marinette finally found what she was looking for. "Got it!"

She shot up from her spot on the floor and skipped over to her friends, her mysterious weapon held behind her back. "My mom brought this from China. It was her grandmother's. Ancient Chinese Magic. I used to mess with it when I was younger, and I got pretty good. Maybe this will give me an edge in the competition." Marinette held out the item, a small red yoyo bearing circular black markings in the center.

For a moment, her friends simply stared.

"Uh, Mari," Nino began, "That's just a kid's toy."

"I hate to side with Nino on this one, but he's right," Alya agreed. "How are you going to take down a dragon with a toy?"

"It's not just a toy. It's enchanted." Marinette began to manipulate the bandalore, spinning it, tossing it in the air, and doing various tricks. "The wire is unbreakable, and never runs out. I can have one item and my wand. If it's this yoyo, I think it will work."

Alya and Nino still looked skeptical, but assured her that they trusted her judgment. Adrien simply watched. He knew Marinette knew herself best, but the thought of her going into an arena with a dragon with a child's toy, enchanted or not, scared him beyond belief. He kept his mouth shut, though, opting instead to support her quietly. She seemed pretty set on using this as her weapon.

He could only sit back and hope for the best.

* * *

 

The next day, Adrien was a bundle of nerves. He was pacing outside of the Champions' tent while Marinette spoke with her parents. He knew Alya and Nino were just as worried. Finally, she and her parents emerged. Mme. Cheng was kissed her daughter on the forehead before bidding her good luck.

"Your father and I will be in the front row. We believe in you."

"Thank you, _Maman_."

Adrien watched as her parents walked away. They didn't even seem to be worried! What was happening?

"Your parents don't seem to be too concerned about this one," Nino said, voicing Adrien's thoughts exactly.

Marinette shrugged and pulled her hair back into a high ponytail. "I told them I'm using my grandmother's yoyo. That seemed to calm them down."

Alya threw her arms in the air. "How?! It's a yoyo! I still don't get it!"

Marinette shot her best friend a mischievous smirk, eyes narrowed. He'd never seen a look like that from her. Adrien's steps faltered, and he very nearly fell face first into the dirt. He checked his feet, looking for what it could have been that he'd tripped over, but found nothing.

Either Marinette didn't see his slip up, or she was ignoring it. "I'm not worried. You'll see soon enough." She waved her hand dismissively.

Adrien was about to go back to pacing, not knowing what else to do with this nervous energy, when the Headmistress called the Champions back into the tent.

Marinette gave them a wave, and turned to retreat to the tent. Adrien acted before he could even think. He reached out to Marinette, grabbing her arm. "Wait!"

Marinette stood stock still. She turned back to Adrien, eyes wide, cheeks slightly flushed.  Adrien's heart did a little flip. Now that he'd stopped her, he wasn't really sure what to do. He could still hear the Headmistress calling for her, but he couldn't let go.

After a moment of silence, staring into her huge bluebell eyes, Adrien finally dropped his hand. "Good luck, Marinette."

Marinette's flush deepened. She ducked her head and nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Nino and Alya cheered for her as she returned to the tent to prepare to literally fight a dragon. Adrien could do nothing but stare.

* * *

 

The first battle, by the Hogwarts Champion, went swiftly. It was actually rather boring. They had used a sleeping spell on the dragon. Alya booed them for their lack of performance spirit. Adrien thought it was a smart move, ensuring the lowest risk of injury. He only wished Marinette could have thought of that. But instead, she was going to try to fight a dragon with a yoyo.

Adrien didn't get much time to prepare himself for her battle, unfortunately, because the next Champion to walk out of the tent was a very small, five foot three, one hundred pound Marinette Dupain-Cheng standing before a twenty five foot long dragon.

Adrien clutched the railing in front of him. He should have spoken up about the yoyo. She needed a real weapon. That thing was going to eat her alive!

"Is she going to be alright?" Nino whispered.

Alya shushed him and zoomed in with her cellphone camera, videotaping the start of the battle.

M. Dupain put one of his enormous hands on Nino's arm. "Don't worry, son. She's going to take that dragon down, Marinette Style."

"You're really okay with her only having a yoyo?" Adrien finally allowed himself to voice his worries to her parents. "Is that really enough?"

M. Dupain smiled. "That yoyo is all she's going to need. You should have seen her when she was a kid with that thing. No one could catch her!"

"Catch her? Why would they need to--"

The starting bell rang through the stadium and suddenly Adrien understood what her father meant. As soon as she was given the signal to begin, Marinette tossed her yoyo into the air, using it as a grappling hook around one of the stadium's polls. Just as the dragon lunged towards her, she used the wire of the bandalore to propel herself into the air.

Adrien's jaw dropped. He watched on the edge of his seat as Marinette flew about the arena using nothing but the wires from her yoyo. He'd always known she was athletic, but the level of agility she was displaying was absolutely unreal.

Marinette tossed her yoyo this way and that, dizzying the dragon as it tried desperately to keep up with her. She zapped it a few times with her wand to keep it on its toes. She was clearly trying to exhaust and disorient the creature. The goal was to retrieve a string of jewels wrapped around the beast's talons. If she could succeed in confusing the dragon, she could swoop in and snatch them before it could figure out where she'd disappeared to.

She was nearly successful. The dragon was beginning to lose track of her, its attacks coming a few seconds behind her. She was nearly in, when suddenly, the creature knocked Marinette down with the end of its tail.

Marinette tumbled to the ground, rolled for a moment, but finally regained her bearings. She allowed herself to slide a bit before rising to her feet once more. She retracted the yoyo and played with it for just a moment, thinking. The dragon watched her closely and prepared to strike her again, but just before it could make it's move, Marinette launched herself out of range. She flew up, over the stands, pulled by the wires. Adrien realized she was headed in their direction only seconds before she landed in a crouch on the railing directly next to him, and right in front of Alya. She was facing the crowd, so she gave a small wave to the camera. She even shot Adrien the brightest smile he'd ever seen before leaping back into action.

Nino breathed out a juicy curse, and immediately apologized to her parents. "I had no idea she was capable of this!"

"There's a reason she's Beauxbatons's Champion!" Alya pumped her fist in the air.

After another short game of cat and mouse, Marinette changed tactics. Suddenly, she ran right at the dragon.

"She's not going to try to take them directly, is she?" Mme. Cheng's voice was laced with worry.

But rather than trying to grab the jewels, Marinette tossed her yoyo in the air once again. It looped around the dragon, and rather than using it to propel herself in the air once more, she used the wires to tangle the dragon up, immobilizing it.

The giant creature fell to the ground, unable to use it's legs or wings to go after Marinette any longer. It still had one weapon left at its disposal, though. It had a set of razor sharp teeth, and a very long neck. This seemed to give Marinette pause as she jumped out of range. Fortunately enough, this was not a dragon capable of breathing fire, so it couldn't do long range damage.

Marinette took a moment to consider how to move forward. Only when an idea had fully formulated in her mind did she finally whip out her wand. She turned once more towards her parents and friends and waved, the look of confidence in her eyes clear even from that far away.

No one would have predicted what Marinette would do next. Marinette, who everyone knew couldn't even speak a full sentence to her crush if it would kill her. Marinette, who tripped over thin air. Marinette, who was notoriously one of the sweetest people in the entirety of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic ran head first towards the dragon, wand drawn. She lept into the air as high as she could, using a spell to propel her even higher. She did a flip mid-air and posed herself directly above the face of the dragon.

The creature saw it's chance and took it. It opened its massive jaws, and Marinette did a perfect swan dive.

Directly into its mouth.

Alya and Nino screamed. Mme. Cheng fainted instantly, leaving poor M. Dupain to catch her while straining to remain standing himself.  Adrien collapsed to his knees and let out a strangled sound. Tears pricked at his eyes. He pulled himself up with the railing and cried out her name. He felt his heart shatter into a million pieces, and reached for his own want.

A sudden bloodthirst unlike anything he'd ever felt came over him. He looked at the dragon, looking very pleased with itself, and rose back to his feet. He gripped the railing  and his wand and heaved himself forward. He was going to kill the beast for this.

Before Adrien could launch himself into the arena, however, a burst of light flashed within the creature's jaws, blasting them open. A huge tree suddenly erupted from the dragon's mouth, forcing it open. The dragon's head flopped to the ground and it struggled to close its jaw on the enormous plant. From behind the broad trunk of the tree, Marinette strolled out of the mouth of the beast as if it were perfectly normal to be nearly eaten alive by a dragon.

Now that the creature was completely immobilized, Marinette was able to retrieve the strand of jewels tied around the beast's talons, and the victory bells rang, along with the loudest applause the tournament had ever heard.

Adrien collapsed once again, this time with the sweetest relief he had ever felt.

* * *

 

As the third Champion took the arena, Marinette's friends and family wasted no time getting to the tent to check on her.

Her parents got to her first, of course, her mother having regained consciousness shortly after Marinette's death dive. Nino and Alya practically had to carry Adrien to the tent. He was in some serious shock. He could barely move, and his normally tanned skin was white as a sheet.

Once he caught sight of Marinette, though, it was once again like she was the very sun. Her gravity pulled him into her before he could even realize he was moving. This time, however, he was fully aware of the way she drew him in. After a scare like that, he wouldn't deny it ever again.

It took nearly losing her to admit it, but Adrien was absolutely in love with her.

Green eyes met blue and suddenly, he launched himself at her. He threw his arms around her in the fiercest hug she had ever received--and her dad gave some pretty intense hugs.

With this amazingly reckless girl alive and safe in his arms, Adrien could finally breath a shakey breath in relief. Marinette's arms cautiously came around Adrien. She was shaken by the experience herself. She hadn't even considered the consequences of her actions. She knew what she needed to do, so she did it. And somehow those actions had brought her right into the arms of Adrien Agreste.

What made her heart race even more than his embrace, though, were the five words that he whispered into her ear, filled with simultaneous agony and relief.

"I thought I'd lost you."

* * *

 

Alya was sure to get the entire exchange on tape. As worried as she still was about the health--and sanity--of her best friend, she would never forgive herself if she didn't capture the moment her ship sailed.


	3. All I Want is to Drown in Your Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the third part of this trilogy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this only took me 1000 years!! What was intended to be a one shot became a two part story, then a trilogy. I don't know how I let this happen.

 

Marinette still hadn't come down from her adrenaline high late that night. She'd said goodbye to her parents a few hours prior, after a lengthy lecture about her recklessness. They hadn't put too much heat into their words, fully knowing that she'd been acting on her instincts in a life or death situation.

Her energy should have calmed down by now, but she was still completely wired, and not just from the battle. She couldn't forget the sound of Adrien's voice in her ear.

He had been so close to her. She knew he was probably just concerned about her as his friend, but he'd held her with so much fervor. Her heart raced every time she remembered the incident.

Unable to deal with her own restlessness any longer, Marinette decided her time would be better served working on the finishing touches of her dress.  The dress was mostly finished, but Marinette wasn't quite pleased with the end result. She'd put a number of charms on the dress, trying to add a little something extra to it. Marinette retrieved her garment bag, mannequin, and wand before tiptoeing out to the common room.

She set up the dress and dress form out in the common room and worked over some of her charms. She tried out a number of different styles, each getting a different effect. She almost liked one that shifted its color in the light, but decided it was much too flashy.  Normally she didn't have a problem with flashy, but she was a Champion. She didn't need an owner done dress on top of everything else. Even so, Marinette filed that charm away for further use.

She was about to cast one last charm when she heard one of the common room doors open. She quickly dispelled her charms and covered the dress form.

Marinette turned to find Adrien had just emerged from the boy's side of the dorm. She felt her face flush as she met his eyes.

"Ah," Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, averting his eyes. The sight of Marinette in her night dress was not unfamiliar to him, but it was like he was seeing her with brand new eyes after his epiphany that afternoon. He hadn't been able to stop watching her since, though he also hadn't been able to speak much. He couldn't get the image of her diving directly into the mouth of a dragon was not something he could get over easily. It was like that moment shook him out of his own denial.

He hadn't told Nino yet. He was going to have a field day, and then Alya would find out, and there would be no stopping that little spitfire. Who knew what she would do with that kind of info on him? No, he would keep this to himself for just a little bit. 

"Couldn't sleep?" Adrien finally looked up at Marinette. The candle light mixed with the moon rays to create a dim halo around her. He smiled at the light reflected in her eyes.

"Yeah. It was…a long day." Marinette pulled her night jacket closer around her body.

Adrien nodded. "Me neither."

He approached the mini kitchen off to the side of the living space and poured himself a glass of water. He downed the whole thing in one go. The butterflies in his stomach were definitely new. "What are you working on?"

Marinette stiffened. She wasn't quite ready to show her dress yet. The Ball was only a few days away. It was really beginning to set in that Adrien was going to be her date to the ball. "A-ah this? It's nothing. I mean, I'm just playing around with some garment charms. Just something to kill the time."

"Oh, that's really cool. I've seen my dad use garment charms a few times. It was neat." Adrien wanted to punch himself in the face. Neat? Here he was in front of a girl who had taken down a dragon with an enchanted yoyo, and all he could say was that garment charms were neat? Adrien needed to get his act together before he made an even bigger dork out of himself.

Adrien ran a hand through his hair, convinced his whole face was pink. He dared to meet her eyes, and found himself drowning in deep pools of blue. Her cheeks were flushed as well, and Adrien wondered distantly if he was misreading these signs. He found himself reaching out to her--

 A loud feline yowl rang out behind him before a crash rang through the common area.

"Plagg!"

The spell was officially broken as Adrien grabbed his troublesome cat by the scruff of his neck. Adrien flicked his wand towards the broken glass and repaired the damage his problem cat had caused.

"Were you looking for food again? I fed you right before bed." Adrien shook his head. His cat was going to get so fat if this kept up. "I should probably go before he breaks anything else."

Marinette nodded. "I should try to sleep again, anyway."

He watched as she gathered her materials and headed towards the girl's side of the dorm. When she drew near enough, Adrien put a hand on her shoulder, as if touching her would reassure him once again that she'd made it out of that challenge alright. "Goodnight, Marinette."

"Goodnight," She squeaked out before retreating off to her bedroom.

When Marinette reached her bed, she flopped down on the bed, face into the pillow. She wanted to believe that she and Adrien had just shared a moment, but she didn't want to get her hopes up too high.

'He's going to Yule Ball with you in just a few days,' she thought 'you can find out what he's feeling then.'

Marinette squealed into her pillow, kicking her feet on the mattress in excitement.

* * *

 

The next week went by in a blur. With no significant challenges for the tournament, and having long been used to the exchange students from Hogwarts and Durmstrang, things went on mostly as usual.

The only somewhat strange thing to happen was that a Hogwarts boy in one of Marinette's classes--Joshua, she believed his name was-- asked to see her during dinner one night. When she'd agreed, he'd asked her to go to Yule Ball with him. Marinette declined as gracefully as she could manage, telling him that she already had a date. She wished him well before returning to her friends at their table.

* * *

Adrien spent the week trying to decide what to do about his feelings. He'd never really had feelings like this for another person before, so when he realized how blind he'd been to Marinette, he wanted to do things right.

Unfortunately, Adrien had no idea how to ask a girl out.

No, wait, she'd already done that first part, hadn't she? They were going to the Yule Ball together. How should he approach her at the ball? Should he give her flowers? But wouldn't that mean she'd have to carry them around all night?

Adrien didn't figure himself the type to keep his love to himself, so he knew he needed to confess to Marinette. He just needed  to get the right moment.

* * *

Unfortunately that moment didn't come. Before he knew it, Adrien was putting on his dress robes--specially tailored courtesy of his father--for the Yule Ball. He had never felt more nervous in his entire life. Nino had noticed, of course, and hadn't stopped hounding him over it.

"You're not still deep in denial, are you, my man? Because at this point, it would just be sad." Nino was busy trying on different caps, trying to decide which was the most formal. Adrien hadn't had it in his heart to break it to him that there wasn't a designer in the world that could make a baseball cap look formal.

"Look," Adrien said, securing the knot in his tie, "I want to ask Marinette out, like out out, but I don't know what to do. I've never done this before."

Nino grinned and slung an arm over his friend's shoulder. "You've just got to come right out and say it. 'Marinette, I know we've been friends for a while, but I finally took my head out of my ass and realized that I'm totally in love with you.' Then you make out. Live happily ever after."

Adrien shot Nino a glare and ducked from under his arm. "You are the least helpful person in the universe." He flopped back onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling, which was currently simulating the sunset outside. "Marinette is the most amazing girl. I have to do this right."

Nino laughed. "Just be yourself, dude! She's going to be psyched no matter what you say to her, trust me."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Just trust me, dude. My girl is her best friend. I guarantee she's totally into you."

Adrien's face went bright red at Nino's words. Sure, he'd been planning on confessing to Marinette, but he hadn't really thought much further ahead than that. The idea that she might return his feelings hadn't even crossed his mind. Now that he thought about it, he supposed the fact that she'd asked him to the Yule Ball in the first place was a good sign. After all, half of the boys in their year were in love with her, and several of the exchange students had been highly disappointed when they'd found out she already had a date to the Yule Ball. She'd asked him, though. It had to mean something.

Adrien's head hurt from overthinking the whole situation. He pushed his whole face into a pillow and groaned. He felt Plagg's paws knead into his back and batted at the pest. Rather than Nino, his cat may be the most unhelpful creature in the universe.

* * *

Marinette flicked her wand one last time just to be absolutely sure everything was in place.

"I'm going to trip all over him, I know it."

"Don't worry, Marinette," Alya said, fluffing her hair one last time in front of the mirror, ensuring maximum volume. "You've been doing phenomenally at dance practice. Minimal tripping and foot stomping."

"Well something is going to go wrong, I just know it." Marinette plopped her kitten heeled shoes onto the floor and slipped her feet in.

"Girl, stop looking at the negative and believe in yourself. You dove into a dragon's mouth. I think you can handle a dance."

"Just a dance," Marinette whispered. "You're right. I can handle a dance, right? Just a dance. With Adrien. A dance with Adrien." A dreamy smile overtook the nervous grimace that had been gracing her features for the past hour.

She took a breath and checked herself in the mirror one last time. The charm on her dress seemed to be holding well. Hopefully her decision to forgo jewelry wouldn't make her come across as too plain. The dress was flashy enough.

Alya's phone buzzed on the night stand. "The boys are waiting in the common room. Let's go blow them away."

Marinette checked herself in the mirror one last time before nodding. It was show time. Funny, she'd completed two of the three challenges, and she was more nervous tonight than she'd been all school year.

Alya led the way down the stairs into the Bellefeuille common room. It was bustling with students getting ready to go down to the Great Hall.

When Alya spotted Nino, she immediately promised Marinette to meet up a bit later and sprinted off to her boyfriend's side.

"Traitor," Marinette muttered under her breath, knowing that Alya was forcing Marinette to interact with Adrien without a crutch. The joke was on her, though, because Marinette didn't see Adrien anywhere. She was tempted to run back to her room and just back out of the evening altogether, when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

She turned around and jumped when Adrien was far closer to her than she'd been expecting, only about a foot away from her. She wondered when he'd gotten there. Her senses were generally more fine-tuned than this.

"Hi, A-adrien," she managed to squeak out.

He rubbed the back of his neck, but made no move to step back. Marinette didn't move either, and he took that as a positive sign. "You look amazing."

Marinette's already present blush deepened. "Thank you. You do too."

 Her dress was a work of art. She wore a floor length gown that hugged and accentuated her slight curves, then flared slightly at the hips for an A-line silhouette. The sweet heart neckline and off the shoulder sleeves made her collar bone stand out. The fabric of the dress was even more beautiful. Adrien wasn't sure where she'd learned such a high level garment charm, but the dress was covered in stars. It wasn't a stationary print, either. As Marinette shifted, the stars drifted, showing the constellations from the night sky in real time. It was an amazing dress to rival the highest class of designers, Adrien's father included. Her hair fell softly about her shoulders, allowing the silky straight locks to flow freely.

Adrien shook himself out of his daze and pulled out his wand. "I made you something. I wasn't sure how you were doing your hair, but I think it will actually match perfectly."

Adrien swished his wand before he could get lost in those huge blue eyes once again, casting the spell he had been working on for the past week, ever since he decided flowers weren't going to cut it. It was something he'd seen his father make for his mother years ago, and he'd wanted to recreate it. It wasn't as skilled as his father's spell, but hopefully after tonight, Adrien would have the opportunity to practice it more often.

"It's finished." Adrien said. He glanced around the room, looking for a mirror to show off what he'd done. Fortunately, he spotted a girl checking her makeup in a hand mirror nearby and asked to borrow it for just a moment.

Marinette wasn’t sure what she expected to see when Adrien held up the mirror, but what she saw was breathtaking. The spell seemed like a high level illusion charm. In just a few seconds, Adrien had created a sort of halo of shimmer about Marinette. It was as if he had harnessed the constellations themselves and woven them into her hair.

 

Marinette breathed out a breathless sort of gratitude, unable to put into words just how incredible she thought the gift was.

Adrien hadn't been speaking with her much lately, and Marinette had begun to wonder if she had done something to upset him. There had been several times that she'd wondered if he regretted agreeing to go to the Ball with her. Those fears began to slip away in that moment, along with the rest of the world. Marinette didn’t want to believe she was imagining the look in Adrien's eyes, but she didn't want to let herself hope too much either.

She couldn't deny that something was happening between them as they gazed into each other's eyes. It was almost like she could feel what he was thinking, as if they were communicating without words. Adrien, of course, felt it too. He had the urge to reach out to her, and he nearly did--

Until Nino's arm landed on his shoulder and Alya draped herself over Marinette.

"Let's go," Nino said, "Everyone is heading out, and I don't want to get left behind."

Adrien shot Marinette a smile, now that he'd been shaken from his trance. The busy common room was far from a romantic setting to confess to a beautiful girl.

* * *

 

Marinette was vibrating again. Alya knew it was something she did when she was overly nervous, though the source of the nervousness was completely unknown to Alya.

"Girl, you've been in front of the school and all those reporters like a thousand times already. What could you possibly be freaking out about?"

"It's not the reporters or the attention that bothers me, it's the fact that I have to dance in front of all of these people! I'm going to trip all over myself, and more importantly, I'm going to trip all over Adrien!" Marinette groaned and face palmed. "It's going to be a disaster. I'm going to trip over him, and embarrass him beyond belief infront of all of these people. Then the reporters will catch it, and it'll be in every newspaper in France, 'Night of Nightmares! Champion of Beauxbatons Ruins Yule Ball, Agreste Model Injured in Waltz Disaster!' Then, M. Agreste will be disgraced, Adrien will hate me for ruining his reputation, and I'll never be able to tell him how I feel, and I'm going to die alone!" Marinette clutched Alya's arm, eyes wild.

"None of that is going to happen, Marinette," Alya said, passing her a cup of punch from the snack table. Her eyes darted to where their dates were talking with a couple of Durmstrang guys, noticing that Adrien's attention was split between the conversation he was having and his gaze wandering to look over the very worried Marinette. "Besides, I don't think you can do anything to make Adrien hate you. You're just going to go out there and do what you did in dance class. You didn't trip all over your partner during your lessons, did you? Just feel the music, and have fun!"

Marinette bit her lip before downing the entire glass of punch in one go. It didn't seem to help, but at least she didn't choke on it. The ambient music that had filled the Great Hall reached a  crescendo before coming to an end. The entire hall applauded the symphony that had been playing as the headmistress took the stage. She made her opening remarks, and Alya placed a calming hand on her stressed out best friend's shoulder.

While the headmistress extended her thanks to the attendees, Adrien and Nino made their way to their date's sides. Adrien knew that attending the ball with a Champion meant being a part of the first dance of the evening, and he was, for once, thankful to his father for dragging him to so many galas all his life. It made it so that he wasn't too worried about dancing in front of a crowd. However, one look at Marinette told him that she was a different story.

The time to take the dance floor was coming up, and he knew he needed to do something to help her calm down. He made eye contact with Alya and nodded. Thankfully, the other girl seemed to get the hint, and withdrew herself from Marinette's clutches, making a feeble excuse, and pulled Nino into the nearby crowd. Adrien moved quickly to take her place beside Marinette, looping his arm through hers and placing a comforting hand on her bicep.

He gave her what he hoped to be a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Marinette," he whispered, "This is going to be great. **You're going to be great. You weren't selected to be Champion for nothing. You're already amazing, Marinette. Don't let something like a dance worry you."

Marinette flushed at Adrien's words and finally lifted her head to meet his eyes. He looked at her so tenderly that she actually felt the tension melt away from her back and shoulders. The affect he had on her was like a heavy blanket and a mug of hot cocoa on a stormy night. She felt a warmth that had little to do with her flushed cheeks bloom in her chest and spread throughout her body. The nervous shakes that had painfully wracked her body and the fear of total nationwide humiliation both eased away as she looked into his deep, grass green eyes. She was finally able to smile. She lifted her hand and placed it on top of his. "Thank you, Adrien."

"…Champions from all three schools and their dates will now take the floor and lead us in the first dance of the evening!" The Headmistress's voice, along with a thunder of applause broke Marinette out of the spell that was Adrien's eyes.

"I guess that's our cue," Adrien said with a wink that absolutely should not have made her knees as weak as it did.

Somehow, Marinette managed to put one foot in front of the other, and she and Adrien made their way to their pre-assigned spot around the center of the dance floor. To her left, the Hogwarts champion placed his hand on the waist of his date, and to her right, the Durmstrang champion held out her arm for her partner. Marinette followed their lead, and she and Adrien readied themselves for the beginning of the dance.

The music picked up to light applause, and to Marinette's surprise, she was able to follow Adrien's lead with ease. She wasn't sure if it was because he danced so beautifully, or if she was too caught up in watching him to be nervous, but for whatever reason, dancing with Adrien was as natural as breathing. She suddenly felt silly for worrying so much.

Adrien barely noticed the world turning around him. He let himself be swept away in the blue of Marinette's eyes, the warmth of her hand in his, and how right it felt dancing with this girl in his arms. How could he have ever suppressed this feeling? If the look in Marinette's eyes was what he thought it was, it seemed that she was feeling the same pull, and that thought alone kept him floating.

The pair didn't even notice as the first dance faded into the second, the dance floor becoming crowded as their friends, teachers, and classmates joined them.

They did not notice the passage of time until the third song drew to an end, and the symphony took a bow for a short break.

Marinette noticed how close she and Adrien had come and flushed at the proximity. She moved to separate from him, but his hand at her waist stopped her.

Adrien averted his eyes for a moment, his own blush mirroring her's. He met her eyes once again. "Marinette, I--"

"Mlle. Dupain-Cheng!" A reporter from the French Magical News Network approached Marinette as the dancefloor cleared. Behind her trailed reporters from the Dutch, English, and Swedish companies.

Adrien quickly removed his hand and separated from his date. The last thing she needed was a relationship scandal on top of the tournament. There was still one challenge left, after all.

Marinette shot Adrien an apologetic look before addressing the reporters. Adrien excused himself to avoid drawing unnecessary attention and turned to the buffet to get her a snack. He hadn't seen her eat anything all evening.

While he was at the buffet table, Nino's hand landed on his shoulder.

"Dude, have you done it yet?"

Adrien rolled his eyes. "No, Nino. I haven't found the right moment yet."

Nino shook his head, leaning against the table and crossing his arms over his chest. "You guys were sharing some very intimate space for like 20 minutes. There was some very romantic mood music going, and you couldn't find a good minute to formally ask a girl to date you?" Nino doubled over in laughter, leaning on his knee for support. "My guy, you might just be a hopeless case."

Adrien shot him a glare as he grabbed a set of utensils.

Nino's hands came up, palms out in surrender, "I'm just saying, I've known Marinette since we were kids. I know her well enough to know that when you finally grow a pair and ask her out, she's not going to turn you down. She's into you, man. You've just got to take the plunge."

Adrien's shoulders dropped in defeat. "I just want everything to be perfect."

"Your dad isn't here, Adrien," Nino said solemnly, making Adrien wince. "Your whole life doesn't have to emulate perfection. Contrary to what your old man says, you're allowed to be flawed and awkward sometimes. And those awkward, flawed moments are a part of dating someone. That's what makes it exciting. So stop worrying about the perfect moment as long as you're making yourself and your girl happy."

Adrien was quiet for a long moment, reflecting on what Nino had said. Maybe he had been putting too much pressure on getting the right moment, and making things perfect. Instead, he should have been focused on dealing with his feelings before he missed his opportunity. "You're right. I'm just going to do it."

Nino grinned and punched him playfully in the arm. "That's my man! Go get her!"

Adrien chuckled and set back out to look for Marinette. As much as he wanted to set everything in the perfect atmosphere, he knew Nino was right. He was just going to find her, tell her how he felt, and ask her to formally be his girlfriend. Easy enough right?

It took him a moment, but he finally spotted a shimmering Navy blue dress, and a halo of stars around deep black hair engaged in a conversation with someone else. Adrien called out to her, "Marinette!"

His call went unheard. As Adrien drew closer, he noticed that the situation wasn't as friendly as he might have assumed from afar.

"…told you no. That should be the only answer you need." Marinette practically spat out her words, causing a shiver of fear at her hash tone to run down Adrien's spine. He'd nearly forgotten how scary she could be when she was mad. He could imagine the fire that must be in her eyes, and wondered how her opponent was still standing their ground.

"All I want is one dance. I don't even see your date anywhere. How do you know he hasn't left you?"

A hard lump formed in the pit of Adrien's stomach. This situation wasn't good. As he finally came up by Marinette, Adrien got the full picture. A tall, lanky Hogwarts boy was looming over Marinette, leering at her with a gleam in his eye that made Adrien's skin crawl. He was clearly trying to pressure her into a situation she was not comfortable being in, and he wasn't taking no for an answer. Adrien knew Marinette could hold her ground in this situation--she was strong and more than capable of handling herself. But this guy clearly didn't respect her boundaries, and Adrien would hate to have Marinette forced into a situation that would cause some kind of uproar. It was time to shut this down before it could escalate further.

Adrien slipped into Marinette's side, wrapping a free arm around her waist and standing up as tall as he could. The other boy was an inch or two taller than he was, but Adrien was definitely stronger. He wasn't about to let this prick intimidate him.

"Do we have a problem here?" Adrien's own voice nearly made him cringe. He was channeling his father, voice dripping with arrogance and condescension. He let his father's influence seep into his entire being, hoping that it would have the same effect on this creep as it did on his father's frightened subordinates on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, it didn't have quite the effect he had hoped. Rather than turning tail and running off, the boy simply took a step back and glared. "Who are you?"

"Not that that particularly concerns you, but I am this lovely lady's date tonight," Adrien said coolly. "Now, I don't know what is happening here, but from what I gather, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng has made it clear that she is not interested in what you have offered. Now, I don't know about you, but I've seen what she can do in the challenges. I don't know if it's such a smart move to be cornering someone who could easily eliminate you without breaking a sweat. So if I were you, I would just accept her rejection and move along." Adrien fixed the boy with his coldest glare, the one he knew reminded Nino of his dad's. Even with his arm around Marinette, she did not back down either. She pegged the boy with a hard stare, daring him to say something else to her.

The boy seemed to get the picture and turned to leave, but not before muttering a derogatory name under his breath at Marinette.

Adrien's control snapped at the comment. He practically growled as he snatched his wand from the inner pocket of his coat.

"Adrien, no! It's not worth it." Marinette put a soothing hand oh his bicep.

He lowered his arm, blinking as he tried to clear the pure fury from his mind. Only the sight of her crystal blue eyes imploring him to calm down finally brought him back to himself. "Sorry. I kind of lost my cool, didn't I?" He returned his wand to his jacket, and Marinette lowered her hand. Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "Would you like to take a walk with me somewhere?"

Marinette's gaze shot to the ground, cheeks turning pink under Adrien's gaze. "S-sure." Marinette's hands gripped the front of her dress.

Without really thinking his actions through, he put an arm around Marinette's shoulders. Touching her was an already an addiction for him, one he had no intention of breaking any time soon. He guided her away from the crowded Great Hall and out to one of the balconies overlooking the gardens below. Adrien shut the glass doors behind them. The stars in Marinette's hair illuminated her face in the dim dusk light, making her glow before Adrien's eyes. He knew why his father had been so fond of this spell when he cast it for his mother. It gave an already beautiful woman an even more ethereal glow, making her seem to be something more than science or even magic could explain.

"You're really amazing, Marinette." Adrien hadn't even realized the words were coming out of his mouth, but once they had escaped, he would never have taken them back for the world. He wouldn't back track them either. Instead, he let them give him the momentum he needed to get his words out. "I mean it. I've never met anyone like you."

Marinette seemed to be at a loss for words as she tried to stutter out a reply, but Adrien was too afraid of losing his courage to give her the chance.

"I just…I've wanted to say this to you for a little while, but I haven't really found the right way to say it. I guess, just, if this is weird, or if I'm--like--rambling, just bear with me for a second, because I swear I have a point. I really think you're an awesome person,  Marinette, and not just because you can fight dragons and solve riddles--but that definitely doesn't hurt your cause.

"You're smart, and brave, and creative, and you stand up for what you believe in. You're the most beautiful person I know, both inside and out. And I guess what I'm trying to say is that I have a lot of feelings. Feelings…for you. And, I mean, if you might have those kinds of feelings, too, I'd like to, maybe, go out with you? Like officially?" Adrien wanted to smack himself upside the head. He'd had a whole speech prepared for this moment, and he'd gone and made the whole thing awkward as hell. Nino's voice rang in his head, reminding him not to worry about being perfect. The words were out there. He couldn't take them back now.

Marinette had to be dreaming, right? There was no way this was actually happening right now. Was she mishearing him? Did Adrien really just ask her out? She opened her mouth to respond. Words that would have normally tumbled out of her in a stuttered ramble weren't coming to her at all. Speeches of love that she had rehearsed hundreds of times suddenly left her. In facing the reality of Adrien Agreste, the love of her life, confessing to her under the stars, she couldn't even make a sound. She could see the unease rising in Adrien's eyes at her silence and she knew she had to do something.

Adrien was about to admit his own defeat, to take it all back and tell Marinette to forget the whole thing. Maybe he'd misread the signals. Just as he was about to take it back, a delicate hand caught his own.

Marinette's eyes were on the ground, but she was smiling. Her cheeks were tinged a deep pink. Her grip on his hand tightened as she opened her mouth to respond. When nothing came out, she closed her mouth again. Instead she just nodded, tucking her chin, and her shoulders scrunching up.

Adrien's heart pounded even harder. "Is that a yes?" He managed to whisper. He just wanted to be sure he understood her properly. At this point, with how mortified he was at his own dorkiness, there was no way he was about to turn back. He was going to make sure he got a clear answer. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

If it was possible, Marinette's face got even redder. She took a deep breath, wanting to answer him clearly. Her pulse was beating loudly in her own ears, and she couldn't believe this was happening. She'd had the biggest crush on Adrien for so long that she'd almost stopped imagining what this moment would be like, assuming it would never come. Now that it was here, and after everything Adrien had just said, she felt like she was about to explode. She wanted to tell him how much she liked him, how much she admired his wit and kindness, how he was one of her closest friends and how much that meant to her. She wanted to tell him everything she'd bit her tongue on over the course of their friendship, but instead of saying all of that, she simply said one word. "Yes."

An enormous grin split Adrien's face, and a laugh ripped out of him. He threw his arms around Marinette and lifted her feet off the ground, spinning her around in a circle with joy. Her hands came to grip his shoulders as he crushed her to his chest. It struck him how tiny she was, the top of her head barely at his ears, even as he held her off the ground.

Marinette's world was turning in more ways than one. One second she was trying to gether heart to cooperate, trying to ground herself, and the next she was spinning, holding onto Adrien's shoulders for her life. Finally, he stopped spinning, but he didn't let her down. He just held onto her, and she wondered if he could feel her heart pounding.

_"Oh yeah!"_

Suddenly Marinette felt her feet touch the ground again, but Adrien didn't release her completely. He kept one arm around her waist, and held her hand with his free one.  In the corner of her eye, she saw a small flash.

Alya and Nino stood in the doorway. Alya was flashing photos on her phone camera, while Nino barely suppressed his cheers. Marinette used her free hand  to attempt to cover her face. Adrien, on the other hand, seemed to be eating this up.

"You better get ready," Alya winked at them. "The reporters are really going to eat this up. Adrien, I hope you're ready for your father to hear about this."

Marinette expected him to grow exasperated, as he often did at the mention of his father. She waited for his mood to deflate, but she was pleasantly surprised to hear him laugh. "I'm not worried. If he's worried about the brand, I'm sure I can explain to him how beneficial it is for his son to be seen with the Champion of the Triwizard tournament."

Marinette finally found her voice, discovering that since the shock had finally worn off, it was easy to return his teasing tone. "I knew it! You're only using me to further your own image!"

Adrien chuckled and winked at her, making Marinette's heart palpitations return.

As Alya and Nino returned to the ballroom, Adrien took a step to follow, but Marinette stopped him.

"Adrien," she began.

He looked down at her. "Yes, Marinette?"

She smiled. "Thank you. For everything. Tonight has been wonderful."

"The night is hardly over, My Lady. Why don't we make it even better?"

Marinette nodded and let herself be led back inside for another round on the dance floor. No matter what Adrien said, this had already been the best night of Marinette's life so far. With him by her side, she had no doubt that there would be many more amazing nights to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is! I hope you enjoyed~  
> Original inspiration for the dress comes from judiejodia's post on Tumblr from this AU (which I didn't even know existed until after Chapter 1 was published, but holy heck it's amazing!! So glad to be able to contribute this!!!)  
> http://judiejodia.tumblr.com/post/139627474448  
> But wait! there's more! Judiejodia actually DREW Marinette and Adrien from the Yule Ball and I'm actively dying!!!   
> http://judiejodia.tumblr.com/post/158930274573  
> So, very special thanks to judiejodia and inkjackets (also on Tumblr) for developing and sustaining this AU. Like, y'all are the real MVPs!!   
> Follow me on Tumblr (CrypticCravings) for more fics!

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr at CrypticCravings.tumblr.com


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